DIY beginner etching tools

Hi

I'm trying to find my way around the stuff on ebay... I want to get a circuit board and an etching material that works on alchohol. In the past I just bought some powder on the electronics store and I used a standard permanent marker where I wanted to keep the metal.

Can anyone please tell me how the stuff I'm looking for called on ebay (circuits and etching material)?

Hope it's not unclear...
Thanks
Zacques.

Hi.
Marker yes but oil marker is better. And hand drawing (old school)
now best solution You can use is B327 (Na2S2O8)
or old method is FeCl3 ferric chloride .

B regards
Mark

Hi Mark. Thanks for the quick reply!

I'm afraid I still don't understand - I tried to look in ebay for these compounds and no results... how is the material called?

Also, is an oil marker a designated marker for circuits or something I can get on the office supply store (Don't recall ever seeing this)?

Yes, hand drawing is what I did before and that is the plan :)

Thanks,
Z

one of those i told You :
http://www.ebay.pl/itm/250g-Ferric-Chloride-F...al_Components_Supplies_ET&hash=item53e9aeb338


B327 i do not see on ebay here You have example from allegro

http://allegro.pl/wytrawiacz-b327-nadsiarczan-sodu-100g-do-plytek-i2363062265.html

or

http://www.google.pl/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s...HqmO1Qac4dVJS1sgg&sig2=hSZFhpscWKEjtDvyZ6l5vQ

B regards
Mark

Check this out for an even different (better?) solution:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Stop-using-Ferric-Chloride-etchant!--A-better-etc/

I don't know of an etchant that works on alchohol -- I'm thinking the etchant you are looking for is ammonium persulfate. Alchohol can be used to clean off the perm marker after the board is etched (in fact, for that reason, if there is an alchohol based etchant, it would probably dissolve the marker lines before it dissolved the copper).

Don't know about the greese pen, but that sounds like a good idea. The permenent marker works, but only use a fresh one that is still very "wet" so it leaves a thick dark line. Also, make sure to throughly clean the copper surface--read this for pointers on that: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBs/message/22010.

Also, if its a matter of the COST of getting a board etched, that is putting you off, consider: www.batchPCB.com You can get one for $2.50 per sq inch--and that's with soldermask AND silkscreen BOTH SIDES!!. Why so cheap? Because your order is combined with other orders on one big board. It may take longer to get it, because the board doesn't get processed until there are enough orders to fill the board, but the traffic is fairly high, so the boards get filled fairly quickly.

hi Zacques
For making printed circuits you can also use the methode of Laser printer-what you do is print te design on a glossy color paper special for laser printer the with hot iron you bring it on the copper plate (be carefull some design you will have to change upside down with graphic comuter programme because of mirror effect). the powder in laser printer is a plastic material which bt heatting with iron is being transferd from the paper to the copper board (by heating it is also being transfered onto the glossy paper indise te printer).
Check on youtube under the term "printed circuits" -there is a lot of information about this methode - it is quick but *fotografic* etching will give higher resolution and more proffetional results. The laser methode is good when the prints are simple and there a relative distance beween the copper lines .When it gets crowdy (many copper lines on the board near each other) it time to move to foto transfer prints.

Hi Yoram.

I actually did see such a video. The follow-up question is are the materials used there for etching, ie HCl and H2O2, not particularly dangerous (I remember from my chemistry studies that HCl is not very pleasant...)? Otherwise, I'd just rather use this "home friendly" version.